Ranger of Narnia
by DouglassWolf
Summary: A new unit has arrived in Narnia, and one of its members has caught Susans eye. What is in store for the young queen? In the meantime, a kitchen maid turned queen's handmaiden has caught the high-kings eye.
1. the Rangers of Narnia

**Hi there, I really hope you enjoy this story, it's been waiting in the dark recesses of my mind for a long time.**

_Five years after the defeat of the White Witch_

High King Peter Pevensie looked out the window of his chambers as blossoms swirled around the courtyard. A smile graced his lips as he watched the petals dance in the breeze. A smile that disappeared as he turned back to his desk, covered in official documents and assorted requests that only the high king could approve. Peter sighed as he picked up the first of a large stack of reports that had only just arrived from the borders. As he sorted through them, he filed their main topics away in the back of his mind.

"_Northern giants are getting unruly again. Telmarine pirates raiding the shoreline. Calormene horsemen seen scouting the desert border._" Peter looked up at the young faun that currently served as his aide.

"Philon, summon general Oreius, there are matters I must discuss with him." Philon bowed and swiftly left the room, narrowly avoiding a collision with King Edmund. Ed looked into the room and at the desk piled with papers. He shook his head, knowing full well what his brother was doing.

"Come on Peter, you need to eat some breakfast. How else will you stay your merry, cheerful self?" Peter raised an eyebrow at the sarcasm in the younger Kings voice. Ed continued, undaunted. "I've already prepared a solution for most of those border problems anyway. I'll tell it to you over breakfast." Peter just stared.

"You do know that I just sent Philon to fetch Oreius so we could discuss these very border problems you say you have a solution for, don't you?" Edmund smiled sheepishly.

"Yes, but you still need to eat something. I'll have Oreius meet you in the kitchen. Now go, I don't care if you're the High King." Peter relented, and made his way down to the castle's kitchen where several young girls were working. A few of them looked over at him and all but squealed at the thought of working around him.

"Elda?" Peter said, looking around. One of the girls who had remained quiet stepped over. Her eyes twinkled with hidden laughter, which Peter knew was directed at both the girls giggling their heads off to the side, and at him for being forced to come down here. Peter realized that Ed must have informed her of what he was doing. Elda looked him over for a moment.

"So King Edmund convinced you to get down here at last eh. Didn't take him as long as I thought, what with how stubborn you are." The other girls gasped at how blunt she was with the high king. She seemed to show no respect for him. Elda continued. "What have you been doing up there in your office? Starving yourself by the looks of it. By the Lion you're as thin as a twig. Can't have that, sit down over there, I'll have something brought over immediately." Peter did as he was told, much to the surprise of the girls. As he watched a younger girl stepped out of the pantry, maybe a little younger than he was.

"Lady Elda, I've finished the inventory you asked for." She said, uncertainty laced her voice, Peter thought that he had never heard a prettier sound. Elda bustled over to her and placed her hand on the girls shoulder.

"Now Anna, what have I told you about confidence. I have absolute faith in your abilities girl, I want you to reflect that." Anna looked at the ground. Her shoulders beginning to tremble. Elda suddenly wrapped the girl in her arms. "Now, now dear. We can't have your pretty face stained with tears in front of the High King. He might decide that you aren't able to handle the kitchens, and move you to some other position. Maybe serving one of the queens, though that might be a blessing from Aslan for you." Peter stood and walked over.

"Elda, do you..." He never got the chance to finish as Elda glared at him.

"Now don't you worry your head off about this little one, you've enough on your shoulders already, and I won't be letting you add her problems to yours. Let one of the queens come down here and see about taking her as a servant for one of them. Now you go sit down and wait for your food or there'll be whacks with the rolling pin for you." Peter grinned as he went back to his seat in the corner. He had no doubt Elda would carry through with the threat, as she had in the past.

"My lord. King Edmund said that you would be down here, although I didn't expect to see you on the business end of one of Elda's lectures." Peter smiled at Oreius as the centaur took a seat next to the table and rested his arms on the wooden surface. He followed Peter's gaze to Anna's form as she hurried around, trying to keep up with Elda's orders.

"Oreius, remind me to talk to my sisters about possibly having that girl transferred to one of them." Oreius looked over his shoulder.

"I may not have to remind you." Peter looked at him curiously before the elegant figure of his sister caught his eye.

"What's this about having a girl transferred to me or Lucy?" Peter pointed to Anna's form. Susan immediately saw what he meant. "Elda." She called. The cook hurried over to them, placing a bowl of stew in front of Peter.

"Now you eat that right down. It won't do to have the High King of Narnia thin as a stick. Now what was it you wanted lady Susan?" Susan pointed to Anna.

"That girl, how is she handling the kitchen work?" Elda's face fell slightly.

"Not as well as I'd hoped. She's a delicate creature she is. Probably more suited to being one of your maids than kitchen help. She's a fine girl, but too soft-spoken for down here. I think this environment terrifies her." Susan caught the girl staring at them and motioned her over with a smile.

"Then we shall have to help the situation, won't we?" Elda nodded, a gentle smile adorning her face. Anna looked at them, fear evident in her eyes. Susan frowned when she saw it. "Come now girl, we're not going to hurt you, just the opposite. I was wondering if you would prefer life as a maid to this busy kitchen?" Anna's eyes displayed her shock.

"Do you mean that, milady?" she asked, her eyes hopeful. At Susan's nod she started chewing her lip slightly and looked sown at her toes. "But what if milady decides that I'm unsuited to that work as well?" Susan looked at her, gentleness radiating from her eyes.

"I doubt that will happen, you seem far more suited to a more relaxed environment. And my maids usually have a great deal of time for relaxation. I'm sure you'll do fine." Peter cut in.

"As fascinating as the conversation is, I must go. I have matters that must be discussed with Oreius and Edmund." Susan waved him off with a warm smile, then turned back to Anna and Elda. Peter walked out of the kitchen and made straight for his office, with Oreius in tow. Edmund was already present and was looking at several documents when they entered the room.

"Ah, there you are. I was beginning to wonder how long Elda was going to keep you." Peter shot an annoyed look, which went ignored. "Peter, the situation in the Ettinmoors has deteriorated to the point that we need a constant watch there, but one that is subtle, and we have no such force. And the Calormene riders that have been seen scouting the border of Archenland you already know about, and we have no force that can dissuade them." He threw the papers onto his desk. "I'm getting so frustrated trying to find a way to take care of these shortcomings in our forces that I'm about ready to just declare a state of war and be done with this dancing about." Peter watched as his brother raged on about how their current forces were neither ready nor trained for the task they found themselves assigned.

"There's not much we can do Ed. You and I both know that. We can only search for a solution." Ed nodded, his shoulders still trembling with his anger at his helplessness. Their meeting was interrupted as Lucy burst into the room.

"Aslan's here." Peter and Edmund stared at her in shock. Edmund was the first to recover.

"Are you sure?" Lucy nodded her head vigorously. "Okay, okay, no needed to shake your head off your shoulders." Lucy's smile faded as she glared at Edmund. Peter though, had only just recovered from what he had heard.

"Lucy, where is he?" Lucy didn't look at him as she spoke.

"In the courtyard, with a..." She turned to find Peter already gone, the door swinging on its hinges, and Oreius staring after him.

Peter raced into the open courtyard, and immediately came to a halt. A large number of men, clad in green, hooded cloaks and holding great longbows stood next to the Lion, who turned as Peter stared.

"Mathias, I present to you and your men, the High King Peter the Magnificent of Narnia, and his brother, King Edmund the Just." All the cloaked figures bowed to the two kings. Peter could only stare. Edmund, however, managed to gather enough of his wits to satiate his curiosity.

"Aslan, while it is good to see you, I can't help but wonder who these men are." Aslan let out a laugh, full of cheer that warmed the hearts of those who heard it.

"These men are the Narnian Rangers Edmund. They will be your scouts, your spies, and your silent watchers. They are stealthier than the dryads, and as accurate with their bows and Queen Susan is." As luck would have it, Susan had stepped into the courtyard just in time to hear the last comment.

"May I test them on that then?" she asked, an innocent smile adorning her face.

"Of course. Mathias, choose your best man." The ranger nodded, though it was barely visible beneath his hood. "And reveal your faces so that the Kings and Queens may know you." Mathias removed his hood as he spoke, motioning for the other rangers to follow suit. All but one revealed their faces.

"Yes sir. Braden! You will be the one to face the Queens skill." The one man who had not showed his face stepped forward. Lucy stepped forward immediately.

"Aslan said to show your face, so you should." The man made no move of any kind, simply staring at the young queen. Lucy, unused to being ignored, reached up to try and pull his hood down, but was unable to reach it as the man stepped backwards.

"Hold still!" her brothers started to chuckle as Lucy began to chase him around the courtyard, the ranger always staying just out of her reach. Susan giggled then joined her sister in the chase. Aslan laughed at the sight of the Queens of Narnia chasing after a ranger who wouldn't remove his hood. A simple misstep caused Susan to trip and fall, right on top of the man, who went down with her. Susan found herself staring into cold blue eyes fringed with sandy brown hair. As she stared, she became aware of her brothers howling with laughter, Aslans deep, warming laugh, and the numerous chuckles of the rangers around them. She stood up quickly and recovered her bow.

"I suppose we should carry on with the test, shall we?" Susan's statement only made her brothers laugh harder as she walked to one end of the courtyard. The young ranger, after replacing his hood, followed her. Susan took up her position, her face still burning, and fired off her first shot after taking a moment to aim. The arrow arced through the air and planted itself in the bull's-eye. A smirk etched itself in her face as Braden stepped up to the mark. His longbow hung in his hand, his body completely relaxed. Susan watched as his figure swayed with the slight breeze, wondering when he was going to take aim.

"How can he hit anything if he doesn't aim?" Lucy's voice cut through the air. In the moment it took to finish her question, Braden moved. His hand shot up and pulled a heavy, black arrow from the quiver as his bow came up. Without pause, he knocked the arrow, drew the bow back, and fired. Susan was breathless, she had seen his hands move, but had been unable to keep up with them. The arrow had been fired before her mind could even register that his hand had held an arrow. Looking down the range, she gasped at what she saw. The rangers arrow had not only struck the bull's-eye, but had split her arrow down the center.

"_How did he do that?_" her thought went unanswered as she took her position once again. As she drew her bow back, she was vaguely aware of him watching her. As she fired, she thought she saw movement from his position, and turned to face him. His bow was up, and his hand in a position to have released an arrow, but she couldn't imagine what he had been aiming at. Looking to her brothers, she let a triumphant smirk cross her face. Then she noticed their expressions. Shock and disbelief were etched across their faces. Looking back at the targets, she realized that her arrow was nowhere to be seen. She began wondering what could have happened. She had aimed correctly, taken the wind into account, the arrow should have pierced the target. It was then that she noticed that Braden was walking across the range to a large oak that stood to the side. Adorning the center of a knot on the trees side was a black arrow, piercing through the shaft of a smaller, lighter arrow, her arrow. She could only stare in awe as Braden pulled his arrow from the tree, then pulled her arrow from his. As he walked past her, he placed her arrow in her limp hand.

"Pride always leads to humiliation." He said. Susan couldn't respond as he walked back to the rest of the rangers and took his place among them. Aslan turned to Peter.

"Well, what do you think?" Peter quickly recovered his senses and looked at the men.

"Very impressive. If all of them perform as well, they will be a valuable asset to Narnia's forces."

Aslan nodded, his mane ruffled by the breeze.

"And so they are yours to command. King Edmund." Aslan turned to Edmund, who had managed to scrape his jaw off the flagstones and return it to its proper place.

"Yes Aslan?"

"I trust you know where they are needed."

"Yes sir. Their talents shall not go to waste." Aslan smiled before turning to the gate.

"Then I must go, take care, all of you." The siblings watched as the Lion walked out of the gate and disappeared. Edmund turned to Mathias.

"Commander Mathias." The older ranger straightened as the Just King turned to him. "Come with me, we must discuss the deployment of your forces. You may dismiss your men to the barracks for now, they will be briefed as soon as our business is complete." Mathias snapped his hand to his chest as he bowed.

"Of course your excellency." Turning to his men he made several hand signs, and the rangers began to disperse. Mathias then turned to follow Edmund into the main keep.

Susan watched as Braden made his way not to the barracks, but to a tree near the wall. She stared as he swung himself up the tree and onto the wall itself. She jumped as Peter appeared next to her.

"If you want to talk to him, at least take the stairs, you're not as agile as he is." Susan could feel the blush heating up her face.

"And what makes you think I want to talk to him?" Peter glanced at his sister, knowing her well enough to keep his thoughts to himself. Instead, he simply shrugged and walked inside.

**Oh boy, sparks are already flying. Please leave a review to let me know what you think.**


	2. Stories of a mans past

"_If you want to talk to him, at least take the stairs, you're not as agile as he is." Susan could feel the blush heating up her face._

"_And what makes you think I want to talk to him?" Peter glanced at his sister, knowing her well enough to keep his thoughts to himself. Instead, he simply shrugged and walked inside. _

OOOO

_Two weeks later_

Susan was taking her usual morning walk through the gardens, a habit that she had been forced to put on hold due to the number of foreign and domestic suitors seeking her hand. As a result she had grown rather short-tempered with everyone, but now that she was back in the gardens she could feel her tension melting away. As she walked she began to hear some very strange sounds. The padding of bare feet in the dirt. The sound of a blade slicing through air. The grunts of a man under heavy strain. As she neared the area they came from the sounds stopped. She could hear the rustle of cloth as it moved, then the shifting of soft leather. She heard nothing after that, and when she rounded the corner, there was nothing to indicated that anyone had been there. She puzzled over the occurrence for a moment before making up her mind. She would return the next morning even earlier to find out who was in the gardens at an hour when her brothers were still groggy.

OOOO

_The next morning_

True to her decision, Susan was in the gardens even earlier than the previous day. As she walked through the gardens she listened intently for the sounds she had heard, and sure enough, they were there. She followed them and soon came to the same part of the gardens she had been the last morning. Peeking around the corner she saw a figure moving through the clearing at a pace that seemed breakneck to her. It wasn't until the figure stopped that she recognized him.

"_What is that ranger Braden doing out here?_" she watched as he set down the bow he had been carrying and noticed for the first time the arrows that were stuck in various knots in the trees. Her eyes widened when she realized that he had been moving for every shot. She watched even more carefully as he picked up a strange sword. About the same length as Peter's Rhindon, it was much thinner, and sharpened on only one side. The blade was curved slightly, still straight enough for a deadly thrust, but perfect for fast slashing attacks. Susan watched in awe as Braden began to move into a series of cuts, thrusts, and ripostes that left her head spinning. She forced herself to focus on him to try to see what he was doing. He was obviously performing some sort of mock combat. His blade left the vicinity of his body only to strike, and always seemed to weave an impenetrable web around him. She was beginning to admire the way his arms rippled with power when he stopped and looked straight at her.

"I don't mind if you watch, majesty. However I would prefer if you were somewhere more visible." Susan stepped out from behind the tree, ashamed at having been caught. Braden held out his hand to her, offering to lead her to a safe place to sit and watch. Susan took the offer and allowed herself to be led to the bench next to the wall, not failing to notice that he wore no shirt. He turned away from her, revealing a back covered in muscle. In the predawn light his skin looked bronze, and the sweat from his exercises made it seem almost as if he was glowing. She watched as he resumed his movements around the glade. When he finally stopped she could only stare. The body that had seemed bronze in the sunrise, now had streaks of pale skin slashing across it in all directions. Her gasp caught his attention only as a glance over his shoulder. He stepped over to the bench and picked up his shirt, putting it on leisurely. Susan continued to stare at him in horror. She had seen battlefield wounds before, and many scars. But never so many on one person.

"So many." she whispered. Braden looked at her. "And most of them in places that should have been fatal." Braden finished putting on his shirt and slipped his feet into his boots. Susan looked at him as he pulled his cloak around his shoulders. "How did you survive so many wounds?" He raised his eyes to the apple blossoms in the garden.

"I was lucky." With that he flipped his hood up and picked up his bow. Susan could only watch as he walked away.

OOOO

_A few weeks later_

Susan watched as Braden moved around the glade, his body glistening with sweat. It had become her habit to watch him every morning, and she had not yet missed a day. After he finished they would often sit and talk while he ate his breakfast of dried meat and fruit. She often asked about his scars, but never received a direct answer. As she sat there she thought about the recent happenings in the castle. Anna had truly found her place among her maids, and Peter had taken to visiting every once in a while to make sure she was comfortable. She giggled as she recalled Peter's behavior. It was so easy to tell that he was captivated by the girl.

"Find something amusing?" Susan jumped at the sound of her brothers voice in her ear. Edmund chuckled as he sat down on the bench. As he shifted slightly Susan noticed that he wore no shirt, and that his body was covered in sweat.

"You've been training with Peter again haven't you?" Edmund shook his head.

"No, Peter and I have been sparring with Braden every few days. It gives us a new perspective, since he knows the sword styles of most of the nations." Susan stared at him for a moment before turning to Braden, who was striding up to the bench himself. Edmund nodded at him as he lowered himself to sit on the ground in front of the bench, seizing a waterskin as he sat down. Raising the leather bag to his lips, he took a few small gulps before lowering it to his lap. After taking a moment to glance up at the sun, he returned his gaze to the garden. Susan stared at his profile for a while before he finally looked back at them and she dropped her gaze. Edmund took all this in while attempting to avoid the laughter which would certainly earn him a long lecture from his sister. Deciding it was a wise idea to attempt to mediate the situation, he attempted to strike up a conversation.

"So Braden, where exactly did you learn all your fighting abilities?" Braden was silent for a moment, and Edmund began to think that maybe he shouldn't have asked.

"Some of them I learned before I ever came to this world." Susan gasped.

"You're from the other world?" Braden nodded.

"Just like you and your siblings your majesty. I was a bar boy in Dublin, my employer found out that I had a talent for getting in and out of bad situations, and decided to train me to box. I was only a child, but he put me in the underground fights. I learned quickly there, and became strong because of it. I learned Cornish style wrestling from a man from England before the war broke out, fencing from a Scotsman." Edmund watched carefully as Braden told his story, wondering how this man survived.

"Mind if we listen in?" Edmund practically jumped at his little sisters voice. Braden turned to where Peter was leaning on a post, Lucy standing next to him.

"You've been listening in on us since I sat down, so why stop. Though you may as well take a more comfortable seat. Edmund shifted over to make some room for Lucy while Peter sat on the ground next to Susan. Edmund motioned for Braden to continue his story.

"You were saying that you had been trained in Ireland, how did you come to Narnia?" Braden was quiet for a moment.

"I don't recall how, but I ended up on the Narnian coast, about ten years ago. I was almost immediately captured by Telmarines, who quickly found out about my fighting skills, and began training me in swordsmanship, archery, sailing, anything I asked about really. Before long I was besting their finest in the arts of war. They finally sold me as a slave in Calormene, as a bodyguard. The man I was sold to had many political enemies that he wanted to get rid of, he saw a possibility in me, and handed me over to the master of his assassins to teach me the arts of silent killing. I was there for a few years doing his bidding, killing those whom he told me to kill, I really knew no other way. But it wasn't to last. I did my job well, and got fed, but it wasn't enough. I still desired learning, so I begged my master to teach me. He refused, and finally got tired of my begging for knowledge. He sold me to a passing trader, who had been traveling through on his way to Archenland. He taught me what I asked for, and showed many kinds of plants that were used for medicines all over the world." He paused as Lucy's face scrunched up in concentration.

"How did you come into Aslan's service? Didn't you have to go across the sea?" Braden chuckled lightly.

"All in good time your majesty. There are other things to tell before that. The merchant noted that I was by nature rather quiet, and thought to test my abilities at avoiding detection. I passed with flying colors, having had to remain invisible and unnoticed in the halls of Calormene does that. The merchant revealed to me that he served as a spare set of eyes and ears for the great Lion, and the King across the sea. When I asked what he meant, he would elaborate no further, and when Aslan came, the man told me that I should go with him. Aslan took me across the sea, to an island that became my home for maybe six months along with the rest of the rangers. We all came to Narnia about three years ago, and began familiarizing ourselves with the land. Then when Aslan finally called us all together again, it was to present us to you." Peter and Edmund nodded, as his story spoke to them. Susan was silent, but her knuckles were pale as she clenched her hands. Lucy was staring at him in wonder as he sat there, awed that he had been picked by Aslan to serve Narnia in much the same way they had been chosen. But something gnawed away at the back of Peter's mind.

"Take off your boots." Braden looked up, as did Peters siblings. Edmund immediately saw what his brother was getting at, but Susan and Lucy were trying to figure out what Peter was on about.

"So you know of the Calormene assassins training methods.?" Braden asked as he untied the leather thongs that kept his boots in place. Peter nodded. As the boots came away from his feet, the girls gasped at what they saw. Short, straight scars covered the soles, as well as many smaller scars that looked to have been made by tacks, or caltrops. Peter nodded as he looked over them.

"Some of them look like they became infected at some point." Braden nodded.

"Many of them did, and a few times it laid me up with fever. Even at those times, they would not let me rest. I was a slave, and had to do as my master bid me. He wanted me trained, so there was no rest." Peter and Edmund nodded grimly. Susan and Lucy looked horrified. Braden slipped his boot back onto his foot and wound the laces around the leg. He nodded to Peter as he stood, and began picking up his things, preparing to return to his duties as the watcher of the region. Susan couldn't contain herself any longer.

"The scars on your body, are they from your time as a slave to?" Braden looked at her for a long time before answering.

"Yes my lady. They are. But it is no longer important, as I now serve Narnia as a free man." Susan seemed to accept this, but Edmund seemed to suddenly remember something.

"Aren't Calormene slaves branded, usually on the shoulder, or neck, or wrist?" Braden grinned.

"They are, very observant of you your majesty. However, if a slave if freed then a line is branded or cut through the mark to indicate that the slave is a free man. Aslan himself scarred my brand." he said, lifting his hair to show the crossed out brand at the base of his neck. Edmund nodded as Braden finished collecting his things and vaulted over the wall. As the siblings dispersed from the garden, Susan stayed behind, watching the place he had vaulted over for several minutes before finally leaving.

**Okay, so now we learn about Braden's past. For the record, I have no idea if the Calormen actually brand their slaves in the origional stories, I don't own them. Please review.**


	3. New Developments

**Okay guys, I am really sorry for how long it's been since I last updated this one. I don't really have an excuse, so all I can do is sincerely apologize for my lack of updates. I will make every effort possible to get the next chapter up in a shorter time period, but I can guarantee very little.**

Months passed after the day Braden had shared his past with the Pevensies, and Susan found herself captivated quite often with his stories of what he had been through. Though now Braden was gone. Taken away with Peter to help in the northern war. Susan found herself moping around the gardens in the mornings. Her afternoons were still occupied with the usual business of seeing suitors and running the country, and her late evenings were spent in her room, talking with her ladies-in-waiting.

"Do think he's alright Anna?" the girl shook her head in exasperation.

"I told you milady, he'll be fine. He is serving as king Peter's personal guard, so both will undoubtedly come back just fine." Susan twisted around in her chair to look at the young girl.

"Quite taken with my brother, aren't you?" Anna's blush told the young queen everything she wanted to know. "I thought so." Anna hung her head.

"It's a useless crush your majesty. He's got his head buried too deep in politics and taking care of his country to notice a maid like me." Susan shook her head.

"I wouldn't be so sure. From what I've seen he's quite taken with you. I think he simply feels shy about coming out with it." Anna's face lit up with hope.

"Are you sure, milady? Oh, I would be so happy if that were true." Susan nodded, the sight of her maid all but jumping for joy making her smile.

"Calm down Anna. I'm sure it's true, but you are going to have to be a little aggressive with my brother. He's horribly dense." both girls giggled. They continued talking about various things around the castle as the night drew on before finally succumbing to their exhaustion and retiring till morning.

OOOO

Peter sat on his horse as he stared across the field at where the giants and their slaves were assembled. At his side Braden shifted slightly on his much smaller horse. Peter knew that the young rangers horse could outrun any horse in the royal stables at any distance, and for longer. Turning to look behind him he saw the army of Narnia assembled behind him.

"They are ready you majesty. You don't worry about them." Peter nodded and turned back to the field in front of him. He licked his lips nervously. No matter how many battles he was in, he always felt this way. He hated the conflict, the killing, the feeling of his sword cutting through armor and flesh. It always made him feel sick. And every time, after the battle was over, he would slip away to someplace quiet and empty his stomach of its contents. Braden knew of this, having participated in battle with his king several times already. Looking up at his king, he watched as Peter stood in his stirrups and turned to his troops.

"Soldiers of Narnia, the Northern Giants have gathered for a final battle, and are prepared to fight to the last. Strike hard and fast, but do not forget your pride as Narnians. Fight hard, and show them what a Narnian soldier can do!" a yell went up throughout the Narnian force. Braden smiled underneath his hood as he watched the enemy across the field. A roar echoed across the field as the enemy raised their voices. The deep bellow of the giants, the roar of minotaurs and minoboars, and the higher cries of harpies and witches carried on the wind revealed a great deal of the makeup of the Giants army. Braden nocked an arrow to his bow as the mass of bodies across the field began moving. Raising the longbow, he drew back the bowstring to his ear.

"The first strike of the battle." he whispered as he released the arrow, which hissed menacingly alongside the twang of the bowstring as it sailed away towards the running horde. The Narnians watched as a large minotaur at the head of the army was struck in the throat by the heavy shaft. Peter grimaced as he watched.

"Narnians!" he called as he raised his sword. "Charge!" he shouted as he kicked his warhorse into motion. Braden's mount leaped ahead of the rest of the army as he continued to nock arrows and release them into the ragtag army that was rapidly closing on them. The Narnian army followed the ranger and their king closely. Anticipation of the horrible crash of the armies built as they drew near, and a loud yell as they approached overwhelmed the sound of hooves and feet.

OOOO

Edmund grimaced as he looked over the terms for a more permanent renewal of relations with Arcenland. As he skimmed the paper he found nothing wrong with it, but something was off in his mind. Glancing up as Susan walked in he nodded slightly.

"Is that the Archenland treaty?" she asked. Another nod was his only response. "Is something wrong with it?" Edmund shrugged. "Let me see it." she said. Ed handed her the paper, unsure why he felt so uneasy about this treaty.

"I've looked through it five times already and can't find anything wrong. So I don't know why something seems off." Susan froze, then a slight giggle escaped from her lips. Edmund looked at her in confusion.

"Apparently you didn't look closely enough. Look at this." she said, putting the paper down in front of Edmund and pointing to a paragraph. "Read this one carefully." Edmund found the paragraph and started reading it. As he read his eyes became bigger and bigger. Finally he looked up at his sister.

"We'll need Peter to sort this out." Susan giggled again.

"Is the prospect of marrying the princess of Archenland that frightening?" Edmund paused, considering the idea.

"Not really, after all, I do know her pretty well. But we still need to go over this with Peter." he said. Susan rolled her eyes. She knew that when Edmund got like this, there was no convincing him.

"Alright fine. We'll wait for Peter to get back. But in the meantime you'd better get out of this office for a while. We wouldn't want a king of Narnia to get sloppy in his swordsmanship just because of a little paperwork now would we?" Edmund snorted.

"I may not be able to take on Braden, but I can certainly hold my own against anyone else." Susan laughed.

"Well then, let's go see!" she grabbed Edmunds hand and dragged him from the room.

OOOO

Peter slipped under the axe of a large minoboar and ran the creature through. His mount long since sent away, he now fought on foot, his old sword and shield a terrible force to be reckoned with. Though at the moment, his shield was on his back, and he used his blade with both hands. Nearby, Braden slashed and stabbed at the various enemies that came into the reach of his sword. His blade seemed to be a whirlwind that cut everything that came near. As the battle raged on, the two men, King and ranger, soon found themselves back to back as the giant's forces closed in. Peter glanced over his shoulder.

"How long do you think they'll be able to hold out?" Braden grinned savagely.

"Not long enough." he said as he drove his blade into a minotaur up to the hilt. Turning, he slashed the blade through the throat of another. He ducked under two blades and lashed out with his own, cleaving the owners bodies cleanly in half. Standing, he looked around, observing the various fight going on around the battlefield. "I think it's just about over anyway." Peter stood, seeing that there were no more enemies in his immediate vicinity.

"Yeah. Looks like we've driven them off." Braden flicked the blood off of his blade and sheathed it. Slipping his bow off his back, he tested the string before turning away.

"We'd better get back to the others. They'll be wanting to go home. And if I recall correctly, you have one of your sisters maids waiting for you." Peter stared at him for a moment before shaking his head.

"Yeah, well you have a queen waiting for you." Braden stopped.

"What do you mean my lord?" Peter stared at him again.

"You don't know?" Braden shook his head. "Well then it's not my place to say." Braden raised an eyebrow.

"Very well."

/

The varying purposes to which the Rangers were put meant that at any one time any number of them could be deployed to anywhere around Narnia. This meant that Braden was often away from Cair Paravel for stretches of a month or more. During these times the residents of the castle would notice a rather distinct gloom fall upon the elder queen, which would only lift when the ranger had returned. It was during one of these periods of melancholy that the treaty between Archenland and Narnia was finally sorted out. Edmund would be marrying Princess Cassandra of Archenland. The news did much to raise the royal family's spirits, even Susan seemed more energetic than she usually was. Adding to this energy was the fact that the northern giants had finally retreated for what looked to be a long respite from the war with Narnia. But all of that faded into a memory for Edmund as he walked the high northern wall of Cair Paravel.

The Just king had taken to these late evening strolls not long after the treaty was formally announced, taking the time to clear his head. And at the moment, what he was trying to clear his head from was the heady perfume the princess Cassandra had been wearing. The strong scent had begun to give him a headache almost from the minute he had greeted the princess, and had only gotten worse as the meeting had drawn on. As he turned a corner though, he caught sight of the one person he didn't want to see at that moment.

"My lord! I didn't expect to see you here!" Princess Cassandra was wearing a simple gown of green fabric, a look that suited her far more than the rich and heavily layered dresses she had been wearing for the last few days.

"I often walk through these gardens to clear my head. Were you attempting to do the same?" the princess nodded shyly, an action that brought Edmunds attention to her hair. Her golden tresses were done up in a simple queens crown braid, leaving a good portion of the locks to fall elegantly about her shoulders.

"Yes, I was. The perfume my mother makes me wear is far too overpowering. I trust it gave you as much of a headache as it gave me?" Edmund nodded.

"Yes. I don't want to seem rude, but that particular scent reminded me a little too much of the sheep pens at the market. A truly horrible smell." For a brief instant Edmund feared he'd been too forthcoming in his opinion of his soon to be mother-in-laws choices, but his fear were blown away by the sound of Cassandra's laughter.

"Yes, that's exactly the way I described it to mother! But she insisted that I wear it to impress you. Now that I know that you dislike it, I won't have to wear it." Edmund smiled at that, and for a moment, everything seemed to lift from his shoulders. For a few seconds, Cassandra saw a layer of grief and guilt fall away to reveal the child he once was. In that moment, she found herself loving what she saw, and made a decision. She would do everything she could to keep that smile on his face.

**I hope you enjoyed this installment, and again, I apologize for its lateness, and promise that I will try to get the next chapter up soon.**


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